Directed by:
Jim MickleCinematography:
Ryan SamulComposer:
Jeff GraceCast:
Michael C. Hall, Don Johnson, Sam Shepard, Vinessa Shaw, Nick Damici, Wyatt Russell, Kristin Griffith, Lanny Flaherty, Rosemary Howard, Zoe Hunter (more)Plots(1)
How can a split-second decision change your life? While investigating noises in his house one balmy Texas night in 1989, Richard Dane puts a bullet in the brain of a low-life burglar, Freddy Russell. Although he's hailed as a small-town hero, Dane soon finds himself fearing for his family's safety when Freddy's ex-con father, Ben, rolls into town; hell-bent on revenge. However, not all is as it seems. Shortly after Dane kills the home intruder, his life begins to unravel into a dark underworld of corruption and violence. Twists and turns continue to pile up as the film reaches its inevitable destination: a gore-soaked dead end. (IFC Films)
(more)Reviews (6)
I have to say, this is the film that finally got me into Jim Mickle's work for real. His previous works are interesting, but the way he built the atmosphere here, wrote the characters, and let them be played by excellent actors, plus the somewhat unconventional use of the camera in some shots, and the gritty ending are all things that deserve attention. A very dark film where there is still some hope.
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It’s nicely shot and atmospheric, but after that “twist” I couldn’t believe anything.
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In the end, Cold in July turned out to be a very solid revenge thriller that culminates in a decent bloody inferno in the last 15 minutes, which assured me that the film in no way puts the subgenre to shame, quite the contrary. The engaging and original story only adds to it all:) I had fun even with the slow pace. 75%
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A redneck thriller about family. A psychological study of a transformation of an average guy into a killer and also about an unusual relationship. Slow dosage of information and the not altogether straightforward story keeps the viewer in the dark and thrilled. It’s not easy to guess which direction this will head in. Excellent acting, great directing. Amazing soundtrack.
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A bit of a retro flick, licked with the civility of Jack Reacher with music that sounds like Atticus Ross was bored at night and he recorded something so people wouldn’t complain. I didn't get much of a whiff of revenge, but I did get a whiff of a scripted, oddly conceived B-movie with an even odder plot twist in the middle, and quite predictable at that. There are a few well-crafted scenes, but otherwise it's a bland mess. The motivations of the characters are strange, the direction the story takes is hard to understand, and it is shifted by too many coincidences.
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